Mountain Rifle Caliber? Ya- I know...

[Dsnow9]

Get in line bud, when mine is finished you can start pestering the man

I didn’t say I was up to bat…

 

[millerkiller77]

I didn’t say I was up to bat…

I'm monitoring the bull pen also, trying to squeeze in a pinch hitter from my side

 

[TheJason]

By the way. I sold all my Remington's a never looked back. Final straw was having that accidental discharge because they saved 5 cents/rifle on the trigger, cheapening the original design. "BCQ"

I highly doubt he’d be building them with a factory Remington trigger, but I could be wrong.

 

[rogerthat]

I'm the same way. I'd likely go 6mm CM for myself, but for selling I think the 6.5 CM is a no brainer.

Would you shoot elk with the 6? I got one. Shoots lights out with the 103 eldx. Use it for coyotes

 

[OntarioHunter]

Ah, I know ... how about .280 Ross? First commercial sporting cartridge to break the 3K fps barrier (Savage 250-3000 actually didn't quite make it over the line). Bring an old geezer back to life. And a Canadian geezer too. What could be better? Yeah ... that's the ticket.

 

[woods89]

Would you shoot elk with the 6? I got one. Shoots lights out with the 103 eldx. Use it for coyotes

Yes.

 

[USAF Ret]

 

[brockel]

Would you shoot elk with the 6? I got one. Shoots lights out with the 103 eldx. Use it for coyotes

100%

 

[Bryerific]

I still haven’t casted a vote because I’m bouncing between a caliber I would personally prefer, and the ones that have the most demand.

One thing I wonder is if you should think about it from a supply side also. Nobody would question that the 6.5s are in high demand, but when I walk into Scheels/Sportsmans/Xgunstore it feels like half the guns are chambered in CM or PRC. I know that all of those models come in all the other calibers too, but people interested in the 6.5s are overwhelmed with options that they can pick up and handle. I guess the point I am hoping to make is that since you aren’t trying to sell large quantities, you could justify a choice because it has less competition.

Any caliber you pick, I’m sure it will sell!

 

[p_ham]

Tikka wouldn’t be my first choice either.

Remington made the 700 mountain rifle and it was popular. Seeing it was taken out of production prices have steadily rose. Clone reproduction is where I would have gone.

This won't be the last rifle I build..

I voted .308 but I’m already in the bull pen for one of those ! Looking forward to seeing this project take shape though!

I feel like the first rifle you will have to put out to bid @p_ham on a thread like this. The HT special production number 00001.

There may be a special run for a non profit at some point.

I think I still have three and they are a mediocre platform at best. Great marketing and a very loyal fan base, but they just don't ring my bell. I rate them in the same class as Vortex and Savage...not my cup of tea

Doesn't matter what brand you pick, somebody won't like it.

I highly doubt he’d be building them with a factory Remington trigger, but I could be wrong.

You're right.

I still haven’t casted a vote because I’m bouncing between a caliber I would personally prefer, and the ones that have the most demand.

One thing I wonder is if you should think about it from a supply side also. Nobody would question that the 6.5s are in high demand, but when I walk into Scheels/Sportsmans/Xgunstore it feels like half the guns are chambered in CM or PRC. I know that all of those models come in all the other calibers too, but people interested in the 6.5s are overwhelmed with options that they can pick up and handle. I guess the point I am hoping to make is that since you aren’t trying to sell large quantities, you could justify a choice because it has less competition.

Any caliber you pick, I’m sure it will sell!

Hey now, don't come waltzing in here using logic! This is a caliber debate!

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I voted 280 AI, 6.5 would probably sell the best but I hate trends. If it were for me in particular I'd love a lightweight .243

Years back I had a 243 I just adored, It was a Browning made by Sako with medium action. A real tackdriver.

As now I lived and hunted in the mountains. The 243 just got pushed around by the wind way too much. Lacking the anchoring punch of larger calibers it needs real great accuracy to be an effective killer. The wind just blew that away.

Ron Spomer, a gun writer of note, devoted a whole article to this topic and he based his choice on a collection of numbers for recoil, tragectory, wind drift, energy, bullet weight, powder burning efficientcy and weight of rifle,

Doing the math he said some 7mm caliber was the best choice.

 

[mevertsen]

I'm the lone .243 vote I've seen what it can do up to about 330 yards on deer antelope and sheep.

I was considering 7/08 as well because I have seen what it can do in the field too.

With the current bullets, either would do well.

 

[Treeshark]

I get the feeling this thread is going to cause me to buy a gun. Perhaps not the exact one you put out in stage one P_Ham, but I always learn about possibilities I wasn’t even aware of when you do these threads.

 

[Fire_9]

Keeping my nuts and six more inches of barrel. mtmuley

Because you know, man card….

 

[nhenry]

I’m even cutting its nuts off and having it threaded at 20”

tHaT's nOt gOod enOuGh fOr gAme. tOo WeaK. MaNbUn.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I'm the lone .243 vote I've seen what it can do up to about 330 yards on deer antelope and sheep.

I was considering 7/08 as well because I have seen what it can do in the field too.

With the current bullets, either would do well.

One of the things we hunters can have in common, myself included, is that we can tend to be "know it alls"
When I look back I can chuckle at myself in that regard especially when I see the different periods I went through.

There was the Elmer Keith "big gun" era of two 35 Whelens, Two 338 Win mags and just one 300 Win mag.

Then there was the light era, a 223. Mini mauser using heavy Barnes originals. same for the 243, and 257 Roberts.

Barnes copper bullets really upgraded these lighter rounds, but still, they offered little extra when needed.

Now I just follow the middle ground with 6.5 non-magnums at the low end and 30 cal non magnums at the high end, with the real middle being .277 non-magnums or .284 non-magnums.

They have enough to buck the wind in cross canyon shots, work for a less than ideal shot like quartering away, hit bone and get through, anchor a larger animal at longer range and not blow out your ear drums or beat up your shoulder

 

[mtmuley]

Because you know, man card….

No man card involved. Just a rifle. mtmuley

 

[noharleyyet]

Since we're headed into the weeds . . .

280 Mashly-Improved with an adult hung bbl, edge steering wheel, 700 DNA, good trigger. bling fluted bolt & bbl, skelled handle, tasteful sparce muted cera-color appointment (bolt flutes, perhaps action.. only) blasted stnlss all other metal.

7.5 all in...

Seriously 280 AI, always wanted one.

 

[Jbotto]

Since we're headed into the weeds . . .

280 Mashly-Improved with an adult hung bbl, edge steering wheel, 700 DNA, good trigger. bling fluted bolt & bbl, skelled handle, tasteful sparce muted cera-color appointment (bolt flutes, perhaps action.. only) blasted stnlss all other metal.

7.5 all in...

Seriously 280 AI, always wanted one.

I think you’ll have to make this rifle happen, just so we can come back and understand all your fancy wording!

 

[nhenry]

Since we're headed into the weeds . . .

280 Mashly-Improved with an adult hung bbl, edge steering wheel, 700 DNA, good trigger. bling fluted bolt & bbl, skelled handle, tasteful sparce muted cera-color appointment (bolt flutes, perhaps action.. only) blasted stnlss all other metal.

7.5 all in...

Seriously 280 AI, always wanted one.

Jesus, Ken, you gave me a stroke reading that